What happened to the sort order?

[larrydonline]

Every since a recent upgrade I've found that folders are no longer organized as to content. The files in all folders appear to be in random order until you click on one of the headings to sort them.

I'm wondering if there may be some setting that would control this. Before this change the contents were sorted by title whenever you opened a folder. This no sort is annoying and waste time having to click in every folder to sort it.

Thanks,
Larry

 

[Wolfie]

Hi Larry,

have you clicked on View > Sort by?:

 

[larrydonline]

When I use "view" and select "sort by name" it does the same thing as when I just click on "name". It only works for that folder. The next folder I open is in no sort order. It does seem to remember the setting when I go back to a folder that I have sorted, it's still sorted. So maybe I'll only have to do it once for each folder I access.

I just tried to pick a folder perfectly sorted and use the "make all folders have the same view" function, but again when I open a new folder it is unsorted. Apparently the sort isn't part of that setting just the column order, which does work.

 

[Tim Locke]

I had not noticed this...but a global setting somewhere for that would be a useful little thing to add to Windows.

 

[Wolfie]

Hi Larry,

are you using 1809 per chance?, I cannot find any global setting other than the one I mentioned earlier?.

 

[davehc]

This works for me. In the left column click Windows 10. Then select the option "sort by".

 

[larrydonline]

This works for me. In the left column click Windows 10. Then select the option "sort by".

I still have 1803.
Your reply is too cryptic. What left column? Where?

 

[davehc]

In windows Explorer/File manager

 

[larrydonline]

I don't find "windows explorer". There's a "file Explorer" but it has no Windows 10 heading.

 

[davehc]

Yes File explorer.
Just a query. Which window is it where you cannot sort the files? The "Windows 10 ", could be my own title for easy ident (a while ago). You are looking for the heading of the folder where the Windows 10 OS id installed.
If you look at wolfies picture, it is the folder titled "Local Disk". Yours is probably the same.

 

[larrydonline]

The problem, Dave, is not that I can't sort the files. The problem is that they are not already sorted when I open a folder. They always were, since Windows 95.
The closest thing in my version of WIndows 10 to "local disk" is probably "this PC". I don't find anything on that page about sort order, except for the usual View menu at the top.

Maybe this is just another thing that worked well for decades until Microsoft decided to break it.

 

[davehc]

OK, Larry. No, I dont mean "This PC"
Can you post a picture of the left (navigational panel) from your File Explorer, and I can point you to it.

 

[larrydonline]

OK, Larry. No, I dont mean "This PC"
Can you post a picture of the left (navigational panel) from your File Explorer, and I can point you to it.

 

[davehc]

That is only your "Quick access " folder. There is a lot more down further.

 

[Garyw]

This resorted most folders for me. Sort one folder as desired. Then select View>Options>View>Apply to Folders.

Selecting Apply to Folders modified most, but not all with one click.

 

[davehc]

Does that make a permanent global sort order for you? It doesn't for me.

 

[larrydonline]

That is only your "Quick access " folder. There is a lot more down further.

Picking up where the first picture stopped:

 

[larrydonline]

and the next one from where that one stopped:

 

[larrydonline]

this shows the end of "file explorer" in the left column:

 

[larrydonline]

Does that make a permanent global sort order for you? It doesn't for me.

Yeah, it didn't do anything for me. I addressed it in my second post above:
"I just tried to pick a folder perfectly sorted and use the "make all folders have the same view" function, but again when I open a new folder it is unsorted. Apparently, the sort isn't part of that setting just the column order, which does work."